Among the many descriptions of Odin, we see that he is described as having a pair of ravens, and a pair of wolves. Thanks to some nature specials I watched recently when I couldn’t sleep, I discovered that ravens tend to mate for life. While pre-adult ravens may live and work together in groups with [Read More…]

Thor is epic. It’s not true to the lore but it’s a good film. There are no spoilers in this review (from my POV). Disappointments? Sure. Rene Russo was less than epic as Frigga. She wasn’t bad, but she didn’t strike me as regal and commanding enough for the role. Looking the part simply isn’t [Read More…]

Through my years as a practicing Heathen in the Northern Tradition, there are certain subjects that invariably crop up when I’m interacting with the more general pagan crowd. One of these subjects is the perceived misogyny of the Northern Tradition.Yet, not only does our tradition have great respect and honor for the Goddesses, and a [Read More…]

“Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don’t.” — Pete Seeger Proof is in the pudding. By your deeds are you known. There are a lot of old sayings relating to the value of experience, which is a [Read More…]

There were quite a few rituals at PantheaCon and unfortunately I couldn’t make them all. I was determined that the rituals I did attend wouldn’t be Wiccan so I could experience the rites of other Pagan religions. Here are my thoughts on the three rituals I was able to participate in over this hectic weekend. [Read More…]

I am human, and therefore like so many others I have my personal ticks and pet peeves. Among them are common misperceptions that somehow seem to multiply faster than dirty laundry & dust bunnies, or the spam messages in my inbox. Somehow, once upon a time someone first said that the Goddess Freyja was a [Read More…]

Just as our pagan cousins celebrate the eight major sabbats that comprise the Wheel of the Year, for those of us in the Northern Tradition we too have somewhat similar key celebrations that we call holy tides (from the Old Norse hátíðir). Some of these celebrations are more significant and special than others, and these [Read More…]

Just as our pagan cousins celebrate the eight major sabbats or holidays that comprise the Wheel of the Year, for those of us in the Northern Tradition we too have somewhat similar key celebrations that we call holy tides. Some of these celebrations, like the one now upon us known as Winter Nights, are more [Read More…]

(Warning: some of the descriptions below are graphic and may be disturbing for some readers.) It’s the aftermath of 9/11 I remember the most: people wandering like ghosts through silent streets for days after the towers fell; the echoing silence everywhere, a silence so profound it was nearly palpable; the scorched and smoky smell that [Read More…]

I’m sure by now many of you have heard of the Christian pastor, Terry Jones, of a small Florida church who plans and is encouraging people to burn copies of the Quran, Islam’s holy text, on the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on the United States. In the scheme of history, it is always the [Read More…]